How can we implement an editable JLabel in Java?\\n

In this article, we will learn to implement an editable JLabel in Java. An editable JLabel is a label component that can be converted to an editable text field when clicked.

JLabel

A JLabel class can extend the JComponent class, and an object of JLabel provides text instructions or information on a GUI. A JLabel can display a single line of read-only text, an image, or both text and image.

Syntax

The following is the syntax for JLabel initialization:

JLabel label = new JLabel("Tutorials Point");

A JLabel can explicitly generate a PropertyChangeListener interface.

Methods

The important methods of a JLabel are:

• setText()
• setIcon()
• setBackground()
• setOpaque()
• setHorizontalAlignment()
• setVerticalAlignment()

Creating an Editable JLabel

By default, a JLabel does not allow editing of the label. We can have an editable JLabel using the Swing CardLayout to flip between a JLabel and a JTextField.

The following is the step-by-step process for implementing an editable JLabel in Java:

Components Creation

Creates a JLabel with initial text as "Welcome to Tutorials Point", a JTextField for editing the JLabel, a CardLayout that shows one component at a time, and a JPanel using the CardLayout.

final JLabel label = new JLabel(" Welcome to Tutorials Point");
final JTextField textfield = new JTextField();
final CardLayout cl = new CardLayout();
final JPanel panel = new JPanel(cl);

Adding Components to the Panel

Adds both label and textfield to the panel, and then adds the panel to the JFrame.

panel.add(label, "label component");
panel.add(textfield, "textfield component");
add(panel);

Mouse Listeners for Label

When the mouse enters the label using the mouse listener, it copies the label text to the textfield, and shows the textfield using CardLayout.

label.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
   public final void mouseEntered(MouseEvent evt) {
      textfield.setText(label.getText());
      cl.show(panel, "textfield component");
   }
});

Mouse Listeners for TextField

When the mouse exits the textfield, it copies the textfield content back to the label, and shows the label with the edited text.

textfield.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
   public final void mouseExited(MouseEvent evt) {
      label.setText(textfield.getText());
      cl.show(panel, "label component");
   }
});

Example

Below is an example of implementing an editable JLabel in Java:

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.text.*;
public class JEditableLabel extends JFrame {
   public JEditableLabel() {
      setTitle("JEditableLabel");
      setLayout(new FlowLayout());
      final JLabel label = new JLabel("Welcome to Tutorials Point");
      final JTextField textfield = new JTextField();
      final CardLayout cl = new CardLayout();
      final JPanel panel = new JPanel(cl);
      panel.add(label, "label component");
      panel.add(textfield, "textfield component");
      add(panel);
      label.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
         public final void mouseEntered(MouseEvent evt) {
            textfield.setText(label.getText());
            cl.show(panel, "textfield component");
         }
      });
      textfield.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
         public final void mouseExited(MouseEvent evt) {
            label.setText(textfield.getText());
            cl.show(panel, "label component");
         }
      });
      setSize(375, 250);
      setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
      setLocationRelativeTo(null);
      setVisible(true);
   }
   public static void main(String[] args) {
      new JEditableLabel();
   }
}

Output